It's hard enough for parents to monitor their children's snacks without their efforts being sabotaged by food manufacturers, schools and the state. But it's particularly galling when other parents are the ones supplying the sugary, high-fat, low-nutrition junk food.

Elizabeth Johnson fights this battle every day. Her two boys, one in first grade, one in second, attend a school where, each day, a different family is asked to bring in a morning snack for the class. More often than not that snack is something that Johnson, a Latin cuisine specialist at The Culinary Institute of America, would rather they not eat.

“I look through their backpacks and find wrappers for Fritos, moon pies, even those tiny wax bottles with sugary drinks in them,” she says. “I call them convenience store snacks.”

When Jill Golla's son was in kindergarten, she tried to provide something relatively healthful and filling — yet still kid-friendly — like homemade blueberry muffins or cheese biscuits. But she could never understand parents who would send in a box of Fruit Gushers thinking it was either healthy or substantial.

A third parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells how her kids will learn about nutrition in PE only to return to class and be given Oreo cookies and Goldfish crackers.

We live in a snack-filled world. One where pint-sized soccer stars play primarily for the halftime snacks. Where PTA moms bribe families to attend their meetings with the promise of cookies, cakes and other goodies. Where teachers reward good behavior with snack-size bags of Skittles.

Thing is, this type of sugary junk food is specifically banned from classrooms, according to the booklet “Texas Public School Nutrition Policy at a Glance” (available here: http://bit.ly/V59mIY). The policy prohibits what are known as “foods of minimally nutritious value” such as soft drinks, water ices, chewing gum and certain candies. It also states that classroom snacks may not consist of “dessert type items (cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pudding, ice cream or frozen desserts, etc.)”

In other words, no Oreos, no Fruit Gushers. Parents shouldn't bring them to class and, if they do, teachers shouldn't allow them to be given to children.

Goldfish crackers, by the way, are apparently nutritious enough that they're actually served as part of the school lunch. Who knew?

Lest anyone raise the alarm about an impending “nanny state,” birthday cakes are still allowed and the rules don't apply to snacks students bring from home for their own consumption.

(Although, if we're going to have a nanny state, shouldn't we have one for elementary-school-age children?)

Neither Golla nor Johnson wants to be overly critical of their fellow parents. They know how hectic things can be for parents of young children. Heck, they are parents of young children. Nor do they want to be “that parent” who runs to their child's teacher over every little thing.

What they want is for parents to be more mindful of the snacks they send to school. Most districts will supply a list of recommended snacks. Alamo Heights ISD's list includes, but is not limited to, fresh fruit, cheese sticks, vegetables such as carrot sticks, whole-grain crackers and trail mix.

Parents unhappy about the snacks their kids are served should speak first to their child's teacher, then to the school administration, says Bryan Black, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Agriculture, which administers the school nutrition policy.

If they're still unsatisfied, it's time to contact the Department of Agriculture.

“We don't want to send anyone to prison, we only want kids to eat well,” says Black. “But if a school fails to comply with the rules, we will send someone to help train their staff so they'll be in compliance.”